Heart of the Andes

Title: Heart of the Andes
Description: This picture was inspired by Church's second trip to South America in the spring of 1857. Church sketched prolifically throughout his nine weeks travel in Ecuador, and many extant watercolors and drawings contain elements found in this work. The picture was publicly unveiled in New York at Lyrique Hall, 756 Broadway, on April 27, 1859. Subsequently moved to the gallery of the Tenth Street Studio Building, it was lit by gas jets concealed behind silver reflectors in a darkened chamber. The work caused a sensation, and twelve to thirteen thousand people paid twenty-five cents apiece to file by it each month. The picture was also shown in London, where it was greatly admired as well.
Creator: Church, Frederic Edwin
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Date: 1859
Extent: Dimensions: 66 1/8 x 119 1/4in. (168 x 302.9cm)
Spatial Coverage: Andes Mountains See all items with this value; South America See all items with this value
Subject: mountains See all items with this value; Nature See all items with this value
Rights: This work is in the public domain.
Type: mountain landscapes (visual works) See all items with this value
Format: oil paintings (visual works); canvas paintings
Publisher: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Provenance: Bequest of Margaret E. Dows, 1909

Cartography in Contemporary Art